Compressed-air water-elevator.



G. S. LANE.

coMPREssED Am WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1911. 1,007,955, Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

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ATTORNEYS.

G. S. LANE.

GOMIRBSSBD AIB WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 'EB.8, 1911. 1,007,955, Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/N VEN TUR A TTORNEYJ.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. LANE, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

COMPRESSED-AIR WATER-ELEVATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. LANE, residing at Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Compressed-Air lVater-Elevator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of pumps employing compressed air to displace the water from the pump cylinder and force it to the surface.

My invention embodies one or more pump cylinders into which the water is permitted to flow by gravity and from which the water is displaced by compressed air, a rotary valve being provided to govern the admission of air to the cylinder and the exhaust of the air from the same.

The invention also embodies a novel means for actuating the rotary valve, which means is driven by the water as it is forced out of the cylinder, the entire mechanism being so arranged that the compressed air is only used to expel the water and thereby render the operation of the pump as efficient as possible.

In other words, the invention has for one of its objects to provide a positive and effective means for operating a valve which governs the alternate admission to and escape of air from the pump cylinder or cylinders; to effect the nearly complete emptying and refilling of each water chamber without waste of compressed air; to obtain an abundance of power for operating the air valve, with simply constructed parts.

The invention further has for its object to provide a pump of the character stated of a compact strong and yet simple construction which can be manufactured at a minimum expense and in which there are few wearing parts and those may be readily replaced.

The invention also includes those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts all of which will be first fully described and be specically pointed out in the appended claims references being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1, is a side elevation and part seci Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 8, 1911.

Patented Nov. *7, 1911.

Serial No. 607,389.

tion of one form of my invention lowered into a well. Fig. 2, 1s an enlarged vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3, parts bethe line 8 8 of Fig. 2. Fig. 9, is a detail.'

vertical section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a central vertical section and part elevation of the modified form of the invention.

In the drawings in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 1 and 2 designate the upper and lower cylinders which are united through the medium of the union, or joint 3 into which the cylinders 1 and 2 are threaded, the union 3 having threaded pockets 4 for that purpose.

The lower cylinder 2 at its lower end, is closed by a cap 5 and the upper cylinder 1 has its upper end closed by a cap 18. vThe union 3 is cut away as at 6 to form a water inlet, it is also formed with an outlet pas sage 7.

8 and 12 designate the water intake pipes for the respective cylinders 1 and 2. The pipes 8 and 12 are threaded into the union 3 and communicate with the inlet 6 thereof. Each pipe 8 and 12 is provided, within the respective cylinders, with a back check valve 9 and 13 respectively.

10 and 14 designate the water outlet pipes for the cylinders 1 and 2 respectively which pipes thread into the union 3 and communicate with the water outlet 7 and each of the pipes 10 and 14 are provided with back check valves 11 and 15 respectively. The union 3 has a projection 16 into which the water oftake pipe 17 is threaded to communicate with the outlet 7.

The cap 18 has an extension 19 that is provided with an opening 20 into which an air exhaust pipe 21 may be tapped to convey the air up above the water line where it exhausts. The cap 18 also has an exhaust passage 22 that communicates; with the oentral port 38 of the rotary valve 36.

23 and 24 designate grooves in the upper surface of the cap 18 which ai'e arranged 5 concentrically and cooperate with the ports 37 and 39 of the `valve 36.

25 is a duct that leads from the groove 23 into the cylinder 1 while 26 indicates a port that communicates through a passasge 27 in l the cap 18 with a pipe 28 that passes down and communicates with a passage 29 in the union 3 which passage 29 in turn communicates through a port 30 with the cylinder 2. I prefer to arranged the ports 25 and 26 l dianietrieally opposite one another though this is not essential so long as the grooves 23 and 24 are diametrically opposite one another as the diameter of the ports 37-and 39 of the valve 36 are such that the ports will lap over the ends of the grooves 23 and 24 in passing Jfrom one to another. In other words, the distance between the contiguous ends of the grooves 23 and 24 is less than the diameter ol the ports 37 or 39 so that such ports will always be in communication with the grooves 23 and 24.

31 is a valve casing which houses the valve 36 and is fitted over the cap 18, the valve 36 being of less thickness than the chamber 32 of the valve casing 31 to leave a space above the valve 36. The space above valve 36 communicates with the air inlet pipe 35 which is threaded into an extension 34 of the valve casing 31 through a duct 33. The

35 compressed air in the chamber 32 above the valve 36 will aid in holding the valve seated on the cap 18.

40 designates the valve stem which carries a gear 41 that meshes with a pinion 42 on the 40 stub 'shaft 43 in the chamber 47 of the gear case 48. The gear 44 meshes with a pinion 45 on the motor shaft 46 that projects into the motor casing 49 and is keyed to the motor wheel 50. rIhe shaft 46 projects into 45 a step bearing 51 in the cap 52 of the motor case 49. The motor case 49 has a projection 54 in which a duct 53 is formed and into which the other end of the pipe 17 is tapped to communicate with such duct 53, the duct- 53 conveying the water to the motor wheel 50. n The water passes from the motor wheel 50 through a duct 55 in the casing 49 to the outlet pipe 56 by means of which the water is conveyed to the surface. l

The valve casing 31, the gear casing 48, and the motor casing 49 and its cap 52 may be secured to the cap 18 by screws 57 or other suitable means. Instead vof placing the cylinders 1 and 2 in longitudinal aline- 60 ment, they may be placed side by side as indicated in Fig. 10 by reference to which it will be observed that the cap 18a is provided with an extension 58 into which the pipe 2 is threaded and the union 61 is made double to receive cylinders 1 and 2 side by side. The union 61 is also provided with 2 sets of water inlets 63 one for each cylinder 1 and 2 and it is provided with a double outlet 62 that comlnunicates with the pipe 17. The cap 58 is also provided with a duct 59 to eifect communication between the grooves 24 and port 60. In other respects this form is the same as the other form and operates in practically the same manner.

In operation the pump is let down into the well below the water line after which the water liows alternately into the cylinders and displaces the air. Assume for purposes of illustration that the lower cylinder 2 has filled with water and that the valve 36 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Now as compressed air is admitted to the valve chamber 36, it will pass through the Valve port 39 into the groove 24 from whence it passes through the port 26 and duct 27 via the pipe 28 to the duet 29 and port 30 through which it is admitted into the cylinder 2. As the air is forced into the cylinder 2, the water is forced out through the pi e 14 flowing through the passage 7 and pipe 17 to the duct 33 by which it is conveyed to the motor wheel 50, thereby turning the same in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 and passing out through the duet 55 to the delivery pipe 56 by which it is conveyed to the desired location and as the water flows from uct 53 to duct 55, the water wheel 50 will e turned thereby imparting motion to the valve 36 through the train of gears. In practice the parts are so designed that the passage of one complete cylinder full of water from duct 53 to duct 55 will turn the motor wheel 50 a suliicient number of times to impart one-half revolution to the valve 36 hence, by the time the cylinder 2 has been emptied of water and filled with air, the valve 36 will have turned through 180 from the position shown in ,Fig 2 and thus gring the port 39 into alinement with the groove 23 and bring the port 37 into alinement with the groove 24. -While the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 2 to admit compressed air to the cylinder 2 as above described, the air in the cylinder 1 will be displaced by the inllowing water through the pipe 8, passing out through the duct 25 and groove 23 and through the passage 37 38 of the valve 36 to the exhaust duct 22 from which it will How to the outlet pipe 21 so that by the time the cylinder 2 has been emptied, the cylinder 1 will have becolne filled with water. Now, as soon as the cylinder 2 has become emptied and t-he valve 36 turned 180o from the position shown in Fig. 2 as above described, the air from the cylinder 2 will exhaust through port 30, duct 29, pipe 28, duct 27, port 26, groove 24, valve passage 37-38, outlet duct 22, to

outlet pipe 21. At the same t-ime compressed air will pass from chamber 32 through valve port 38, groove 23 and duct 25 into the cylinder l Where it displaces the Water in said cylinder through the pipe l0, passage 7, pipe 17, duct 53 and 54, to the Water olftale pipe 56 thereby continuing the operation of the motor 50 and consequently the movements of the valve 36. By making the ports 37 and 39 to a diameter' greater than the distance between the adjacent ends of the grooves 28 and 24 as described all danger of stalling the motor 50 is avoided for the reason that the Water is constantly flowing either from one cylinder or the other.

From the foregoing description taken in connection vvith the accompanying drawings, it is thought the complete operation, construction and advantages of my invention Will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

The design of the Water motor as shown is intended for illustration only since the preferred type of motor is determined by the required conditions. Furthermore, I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts as shown as the same may be readily modified or varied Without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

IVhat I claim is:

l. In a pump, a cylinder, means for admitting water into said cylinder, means for admitting compressed air into said cylinder to displace the Water and means for permitting the escape of air from said cylinder to permit Water to enter the same, means for controlling the admission of air to and the escape of air from said cylinder, means for conveying the displaced Water from said cylinder and a Water motor operated by the Water conveyed from said cylinder for operating said air admission and escape controlling means.

2. In a pump, a cylinder into which Water and air are alternately admitted and displaced, a valve for controlling the admission of air to and the exhaust of air from said cylinder and a Water motor operatively connected with said valve and operated by the stream of displaced Water for effecting the operation of said valve.

3. In a pump, a cylinder into which Water is alternately admitted and displaced and into which air is alternately admitted and displaced, combined With a rotary valve for controlling the admission of air to and the exhaust of air from said cylinder and means operated by the Water displaced from the cylinder for operating said valve.

l. In a pump, applurality of cylinders into which water is alternately admitted and displaced and into which air is alternately admitted and displaced combined ivith a single valve device for controlling the admission of air to and the exhaust of air from all of said cylinders, and a hydraulic motor for operating saidv valve device, and means for passing the Water displaced from said cylinders through said motor to operate the same.

5. In a pump, a pair of cylinders, means through Which Water may be admitted into said cylinders, a Water outlet for said cylinders, means for admitting air to one cylinder While simultaneously permitting the escape of air from the other cylinder and vice versa, said last named means including a controlling valve, and Water motor operated means for operating said controlling valve by the stream of vvater discharged from said cylinders.

6. In a pump, a pair of cylinders, means through Which Water may be admitted into said cylinders, a Water outlet for said cylinders, means for admitting air to one cylinder While simultaneously permitting the escape of air from the other cylinder and vice versa, said last named means including a rotary controlling valve, and Water motor operated means for operating said controlling valve by the stream of Water discharged from said cylinders.

7. In a pump, a pair of cylinders, means through Which Water may be admitted into said cylinders, a Water outlet for said cylinder, means for admitting air to one cylinder While simultaneously permitting the escape of air from the other cylinder and vice versa, said last named means including a controlling valve, and means for operating said controlling valve by the stream of Water discharged from said cylinders, said operating means including a Water motor through Which the Water discharged from said cylinders is passed before delivery out of the pump.

8. In a pump, a pair of cylinders, into which Water is alternately admitted and displaced, means for alternately admitting compressed air to and exhaust air from said cylinders, said means including a valve, ducts leading from said valve into the respective cylinders, said valve having an exhaust port and a live air port to alternately register with the respective ducts, means for conveying compressed air to said valve to be distributed thereby, and a Water motor for operating said valve.

9. In a pump, a pair of cylinders, into which Water is alternately admitted and displaced, means for alternately admitting compressed air to and exhaust air from said cylinders, said means including a valve, ducts leading from said valve into the respeetve cylinders, said Valve having L11 eX- inders to said Water motor to operate the haust port and a live zur port, t0 alternately same and then eonveylng the water to the register with the respective duets, means for place of delivery.

conveying compressed air to said valve t GEORGE S. LANE. be distributed thereby7 and it Water motor Witnesses:

for operating said valve, and means for Con- CARMELLTA O. LANE,

veying the Water displaced from said cyl- A.,T.LE\v1s.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

